Around 3,000 Google Chrome users couldn't access or even find their browsers on Friday, thanks to a bug in Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) antivirus that tagged Google Chrome as a piece of malware.

On Friday Microsoft wrote on its Facebook page that MSE, a popular free antivirus software for Windows users, was incorrectly identifying Chrome as the PWS:Win32/Zbot virus, part of the Zeus family of trojans. As a result the antivirus blocked and removed Chrome from the PCs of around 3,000 users.

Microsoft quickly released an updated signature (1.113.672.0), though MSE users can also manually update their protection and reinstall Chrome.

Google Chrome's security team discovered the problematic signature on Friday and began automatically restoring Chrome for affected users, which will take 24 hours. Those who For those who don't want to wait, Google suggests removing the browser from your program list (browser history will not be deleted) and going to Chrome's homepage to re-download the software. Check its blog post for pictorial instructions.

Microsoft has been getting lots of flack for the mistake, with some publications even saying the company was avenging a report suggesting Chrome could surpass Internet Explorer as the largest Web browser in the world.

Sara Yin is a junior analyst in the Software, Internet, and Networking group at PCmag.com, pouring most of her energy into app testing and security matters at Security Watch with Neil Rubenking. She lies awake at night pondering the state of mobile security (half-true).
Prior to joining PCMag.com, Sara spent five years reporting for publications in New York City (Huffington Post), Hong Kong (South China Morning Post), and Singapore (Campaign Asia, Men's Health).
Follow her on Twitter at @SecurityWatch and @sarapyin, or contact her the...
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